Politics
Politics

Georgia Legislature Today: Killing time

Debbie Buckner catches up with her fellow representatives before the first day of the 2018 General Assembly began at the Georgia State Capitol on Monday January 8th, 2018. (Photo by Phil Skinner)
Debbie Buckner catches up with her fellow representatives before the first day of the 2018 General Assembly began at the Georgia State Capitol on Monday January 8th, 2018. (Photo by Phil Skinner)
By
Jan 10, 2018

The Georgia General Assembly at a glance for Wednesday, Day 3 of the 2018 legislative session:

They call this a business day: Legislative sessions didn't last long Tuesday: About 45 minutes in the House and 35 minutes in the Senate. Not much was accomplished except burning one of the 40 legislative business days before state legislators can get back to campaigning.

Adoption warning: A Republican and a Democrat made speeches in the House of Representatives to pressure the state Senate to pass a bill making adoptions easier — without a controversial "religious liberty" amendment that doomed the legislation last year. "How can one claim to be a champion of life and kill adoption in Georgia?" asked state Rep. Christian Coomer, R-Cartersville. "How can one claim to be a champion of religious liberty and create a false narrative in the debate?" State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur, asked senators to approve the adoption measure to help rescue children "from nightmares of neglect." Don't expect the House to approve Senate bills until senators pass the adoption legislation, House Bill 159.

Wednesday meetings: House Ways & Means Committee at 1 p.m., Senate Retirement Committee at 3 p.m. and Senate Judiciary Committee at 3 p.m. The full House and Senate convene at 10 a.m.

On the record: "That (adoption) bill needs to pass quickly for the good of this session, not to mention the good of hundreds of thousands of Georgia kids." — House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge

About the Author

Mark Niesse covers Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

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